Comcast Stimulates Florida Economy

Comcast (News - Alert) has enjoyed constant growth over the past few years, and expansion inevitably brings about the creation of new jobs. A sizable proportion takes place in Florida; Comcast’s most recent announcement is the addition of 220 positions to its “Center of Excellence” (call center) in Ft. Myers. Any increase in job opportunities is significant enough but this is only a small portion of the 1,800 total jobs the company has created in the state over the past year.

Accordingly, it must be kept in mind that these figures apply to Comcast directly without accounting for its subsidiaries, although their inclusion makes the statistics even more impressive. Comcast owns a 51 percent share of NBCUniversal, the media giant with a massive international presence that in Florida alone includes numerous properties such as television stations, cable channels and of course the Universal Studios amusement park. The latter experienced growth of more than 3,500 new jobs, contributing to the entire corporation’s total state employment of over 16,000.

Image via cdn.dice

Florida has suffered economically since the recession in 2008, along with the rest of the country, but Governor Rick Scott has spearheaded efforts to reverse the decline and vastly improve the state’s influence in domestic and international markets. He vehemently encourages expansion with a vision of fostering an “opportunity economy.” His campaign stated a goal of creating 700,000 jobs within seven years, and after three there has already been a net increase of 440,000.

Florida has one of the fastest growing (or recovering, depending on how you look at it) economies of any of the states, and Comcast has been responsible for a relatively sizable portion of it. Companies that continue to focus on job creation and economic stimulation, with minimal outsourcing and downsizing, can help the US retain its status as a world economic leader without making any sacrifices to consumer satisfaction.